Monday, 5 July 2010

NIGHT

Three a.m.

For the moment I have given up on sleep.
I am at peace, the night welcomes me with open arms.
The whole world is mine.
Yesterday is long gone, tomorrow is no more than the thinnest shadow of light just over the horizon.
There’s nothing on my mind to disturb my equilibrium.

I put down my novel, pick up the poetry anthology on my night table; read a favourite poem.

I decide to get up, draw the curtains and open the window wide.
The night air is balmy, it caresses my face tenderly.
The waning moon pierces the velvet sky, creating a silvery sheen above the deeper blackness of trees and the edge of the hills.
Bright Venus is in attendance.

All is still, all is silent.

As my spirit settles into the night, my eyes distinguish minute differences in the texture of the darkness, here and there a man-made light glimmers and the gentlest breeze shifts the tops of trees.

My ears become attuned to far-off sounds.
An owl hoots; there is an answering shriek from across the valley.
In a distant farmyard a dog barks briefly, disturbed perhaps by the call of a vixen.

I hear a hum, a delicate, yet deep-throated hum; like a blanket of sound covering all other sounds.
It is the river, flowing low after weeks of blue skies and no rain to fill its bed with new vigour.

26 comments:

What a contrast in your state of mind in this beautifully written piece compared to the last time you posted about a sleepless night.

It never fails to amaze me how we can have such a different experience and reaction to the very same circumstances. It is not the circumstances as much as our state of mind.Your writing immediately reveals that acceptance of what is, is key. Thank you for this elegant lesson in equanimity.

I sometimes wonder if we should start an online chat room for 3 a.m. sleepless gardeners. What is it with that time of the morning that gets us up and moving around?? This was lovely. Thanks for sharing.

Beautifully described - there must be something afoot with so many of us experiencing similar sleepless nights. The mind refuses to be quiet...you have found a peaceful solution & we should make a copy of your words to keep by our bedside...so soothing.

Very beautiful imagery, taking one to the same peace and calm you must have been experiencing. If only my sleepness nights could be so relaxing.

Thank you also for your input on my blog about the gardening. I tried to post back a couple of times to you, however, something is not connecting correctly and both seem to have been lost. I really appreciate your input and words of guidance there.

As you suggested, I have found myself on a search for books, gardening shows, etc., anything which will give me more knowledge about what I might be doing wrong or right. The small successes are starting to come more often now, and it is very inspiring to continue on this new journey for me.

This is very strange - there's something going on with blogger - your post says 19 comments, but I only see three. On my post something similar has happened.So, back to your post - I thought I'd commented on it, but it's disappeared. This post is beautiful - what a sleepless night should always be....just a part of the 24 hours in a day, but perhaps the most exquisite part.

There is something strange going on with Blogger. This morning I tried to publish 3 comments I received and could not do it for a while. A blogging friend I just visited said that she had trouble on her blog. I saw on Blogger Reader that you had a new post called “A Day with Nature and Poetry” but I cannot find it on your blog. So – I cannot comment. I’ll just say that I am pleased that Holland will be in the world cup final since I have friends there and since they have not been in the final since 1978. Tomorrow is the match Germany against Spain. Whoever wins will play against Holland – now comes the problem – I have good friends in both countries (and my best childhood friend in Spain) so I am not sure who I should be for? It’s going to be an exciting end to the world cup.

Translate

Followers

Follow by Email

Benno

About Me

I was born and educated in Germany but I have lived in the UK for decades.
Before I started blogging, I had time for gardening, writing, reading, meeting friends, for poetry and literature, concerts and the theatre. I enjoyed cooking and feeding others.
Now, I do all these things if blogging permits.